Fast Fifty 2014: #2 Maven Wave Partners LLC

In 2010, this Loop company invested heavily in a partnership with Google to be a provider of the tech giant's cloud computing platform and related software and services. “We were very early in the market,” says co-founder Brian Farrar, 50.

Sounds impressive—but for two years, the company lost money on the deal. It wasn't until 2013 that Maven Wave built up enough customer volume to offset the upfront costs. This partnership now accounts for about one-third of revenue, according to Mr. Farrar. It also has helped introduce customers to the firm's other services.

“Our customers absolutely love Maven Wave, because they make sense of (Google Cloud), and they do it gracefully,” says Adam Massey, head of Google Enterprises' America's partnerships.

Maven Wave also has prospered by targeting sectors undergoing major changes, such as financial services companies, which are facing new regulations, and the health sciences industry, which is undergoing a slew of mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Farrar expects mobile technology and social media to drive future growth. “Making applications more social, more mobile, more analytical is a gigantic wave,” he says.